This Thanksgiving May Have Less Politics

Summary

The article suggests that this year's Thanksgiving may be less politically charged than recent ones, reflecting a possible shift away from extreme political views following the midterm elections.

Abstract

The author reflects on the political tension that has characterized recent Thanksgivings, from the "Let's Go Brandon" sentiment of 2021 to the tumultuous 2016 post-election gathering. The article highlights the impact of Trump's presidency and the subsequent political climate on family gatherings, noting the particularly intense atmosphere of the 2020 Thanksgiving in the wake of the presidential election and Trump's claims of a stolen election. However, the author observes a more subdued mood this year, despite ongoing political events such as Trump's announcement to run for president again and the Georgia runoffs. The midterm elections are seen as a turning point, with voters rejecting more extreme candidates, suggesting a desire for normalcy and a move away from fringe politics. The author posits that Thanksgiving, as a holiday centered around relaxation and togetherness, is an opportunity to embrace this shift and take a break from political strife.

Opinions

The author implies that the past few years have seen exceptionally politically charged Thanksgivings, largely due to Trump's presence in politics.
The "Let's Go Brandon" phenomenon and the 2020 Georgia runoffs are cited as examples of how politics have invaded Thanksgiving conversations.
The author expresses that the 2022 midterm elections have indicated a public desire to move away from extreme political views, as evidenced by the rejection of fringe candidates.
There is an opinion that Thanksgiving is inherently a "normie" holiday that emphasizes relaxation and family over political debate.
The article suggests that the results of the midterm elections provide a "permission structure" for Americans to disengage from political conflict and enjoy a more peaceful Thanksgiving.
The author predicts that the relative calm of the 2022 Thanksgiving may be short-lived, with the 2023 Iowa caucuses likely to reignite political tensions.

At last.

Last Thanksgiving, I joked, at our annual family gathering, that the first person to bring up politics — in any capacity — had to eat outside. Though I’m pretty sure the fact that mentioned it at all means that I probably should have been eating outside myself.

Talking politics at Thanksgiving is always perilous, whether it’s the drunk racist uncle, the too-online cousin who’s constantly looking for something to be upset about or just the overall sense that the room’s going to explode the minute someone says the word “Trump.” But the last few years have provided a run of politically fraught Thanksgivings that are unprecedented.

2021. This is the first real “post-Covid” Thanksgiving, which is to say, it’s the first post-vaccine Thanksgiving, the one when people actually felt comfortable gathering. (Though ironically we all ended up getting Omicron afterwards.) This was also the “Let’s Go Brandon” Thanksgiving. (Remember that Jared Schmeck idiot?) There were lots of built-up arguments to have after a year plus indoors.

2020. Perhaps the most truly insane Thanksgivings ever, with the election just over, the Georgia runoffs kicking off and the former President screaming about how the election was stolen from him. This Thanksgiving was a couple of weeks after the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference by the way, for frame of reference.

2017–19. Trump was President during these Thanksgivings, which automatically turned everything — from the bird to the butter — into a potential political fight. (Politico once said Trump “ruined” Thanksgiving.) 2019 was the worst of these, if just because we were kicking off a Bernie-Warren-Biden-Bloomberg Democratic primary fight, which augured the year that was coming.

2016. The doozy, still the worst political Thanksgiving to this day. There is a real chance that somebody’s niece stabbed someone at this one.

2015. The Washington Post wrote that the political media was, more than anything else, “thankful” for Donald Trump that Thanksgiving. So it’s been quite the seven years, is what I’m saying.

Now, there still are Georgia runoffs this year — as a Georgia resident I am fully aware — but I can’t help but notice that the mood is a little more subdued this Thanksgiving. It wouldn’t seem this way, right? Trump just announced he’s running for President again, House Republicans are yelling about Hunter Biden, inflation is still pretty high, Nancy Pelosi just stepped down as House speaker. But there does seem to be a bit of a vibe shift.

That strikes me as because of the midterm elections not just being over, but because of what they said. The most refreshing aspect of the midterm elections was not that one party did well or one party didn’t. It was that, generally speaking, the craziest candidates, when faced with the harsh reality of the wider electorate, were rejected. The fever hasn’t broken, exactly — Trump still might win his party’s nomination, after all — but it does feel like fringy people and their fringey views are being, at last, pushed closer to where they belong: The fringe.

And one place the fringe struggles to gain any traction is the generalist dinner table that is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the holiday, more than any other, that’s for the normies. People just want to relax on Thanksgiving, to eat a bunch of food, to drink a bunch of wine, to watch a lot of football (or movies), to go to sleep earlier and wake up later than they do any other weekend of the year. That’s what Thanksgiving is for. Its natural momentum wants to bend that way. It has been harder the past few years not just because of Trump, but because of how his chaotic nature has pushed everyone else to their own personal extremes. But Thanksgiving is not an extreme holiday. It’s a holiday where you just want to rest. It’s a holiday when, after dinner, you just don’t want to have to deal with that crap anymore.

I think these midterms helped create a permission structure to, at last, not deal with that crap for a while. To be a lazy, slothful, relaxed American, if just for one weekend. If you cause a fuss this Thanksgiving, whatever you’re causing a fuss about, you’re the one who’s the problem. Past Thanksgivings, it has felt like not causing a fuss was somehow an abdication, a way of saying you were OK with all of this. But progress has been made. The midterms showed that people want some normalcy — that the crazies have lost most of their purchase. There’s no better holiday to celebrate that more than at Thanksgiving. So eat too much. Drink too much. Sleep too long. You’ve earned it. We all have.

Besides: Next Thankgiving, with the Iowa caucuses looming, is going to be nuts. So enjoy this one while you can.

Will Leitch writes multiple pieces a week for Medium. Make sure to follow him right here. He lives in Athens, Georgia, with his family and is the author of five books, including the Edgar-nominated novel How Lucky, now out from Harper Books. He also writes a free weekly newsletter that you might enjoy.